cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12541208

Panera Bread is exempt from following one of California’s newest laws, according to multiple reports. The new law will raise fast-food workers’ minimum wage to $20 per hour and will take effect beginning April 1.

The new law doesn’t recognize places that operate “a bakery that produces for sale on the establishment’s premises bread” as fast food, according to the law’s text.

Why the line was drawn at bread remains unclear.

However, Newsom pushed for the exemption, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. One of the primary beneficiaries of the exemption is Greg Flynn, a billionaire and longtime Newsom donor who has two dozen Panera Bread locations in California.

    • toolverine@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      In the South, McDonald’s does offer scratch made biscuits. They’re so good.

      They’re even better when the workers that make them can have at least minimum wage.

  • laurelraven@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 months ago

    It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out if Panera workers aren’t even making as much as McDonald’s workers… I suspect they’ll either pay it in spite of the exemption or be forever understaffed

  • Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com
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    9 months ago

    Donuts, bagels, 85°, bahn mi shops, heck Safeway/Lucky’s/Walmart?

    That’s a lot of exclusions and a LOT of already screwed over employees not getting a break.

    • Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Depends on what degree the “on site bakery” needs to resemble an actual one.

      I can see mcds adding a glass window with some muffins and calling that a “bakery” just to skirt the law.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      "Sir, I ran the numbers. We can expand the restaurant to add ovens for the bakery to sell fresh bread. It’ll cost us $2,000,000 for the expansion and we’re projecting to lose half a million a year in operating costs. Or we can just pay our dozen employees an extra $2 an hour, making our employees happier, increasing retention rates, reducing training costs, and all in all just being the right thing to do "

      “Good work, Johnson. I want those ovens up and running by Monday.”

  • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    sounds like every business in california is gonna start making and selling 1 loaf of bread every day because of blatant corruption

  • NatakuNox@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Lol they’ll lose their employees faster than it takes to bake bread if every other business is paying more.

    • brianorca@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Until every other company figures out how to make and sell bread. “Would you like a McLoaf with your order?”

      • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        This is the problem with crappy laws. McDonalds bakes rolls which are bread.

        I thought the bakery exemption was weird.

    • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      still a tricky debacle because there’s no guarantee McDonald’s will hire a former Panera employee, if McDonald’s is not hiring because other positions are already full, including all customer orders taken from a robot kiosk.

      • body_by_make@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        McDonald’s and Carl’s Jr have been trying to replace employees with robots for orders for a very long time. They’ve never had much success because old people suck at using these kiosks and don’t even bother trying

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    It’s are article written by a bot? All the links feel like the trash sources that GPT4 tries to grab.

  • NutWrench@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    California’s minimum wage is $16 per hour. Starting April 1, most fast-food restaurants must pay their workers at least $20 an hour under new legislation that Newsom signed last year, **but it does not apply to restaurants that have on-site bakeries and sell bread as a stand-alone menu item, **The Associated Press reported.

    Panera doesn’t make jet engines, either. WTF does that have to do with wages?